Range Cooker Buying Guides

How to Choose the Right Range Cooker Size

The question we get most is: "What width do I need?" It comes down to the gap in your kitchen and how many people you cook for. Range cookers are sold as 60cm, 90cm, 100cm, 110cm and 120cm.

Measuring Your Space

Measure the gap at the back as well as the front, because skirting boards and pipework steal a few millimetres. Before you buy, think about:

• The width of the gap, allowing 2mm clearance each side
• Worktop depth, since most range cookers sit around 60cm deep
• Whether the door has room to swing fully open
• The route from the front door to the kitchen, as these are heavy appliances

Matching Size to How You Cook

Extra width buys oven cavities and hob zones, not just presence. As a rough guide:

• 60cm compact models: range styling in a standard cooker gap. One oven and four zones.
• 90cm and 100cm: the sizes most people buy. Two ovens and a five-zone hob.
• 110cm and 120cm: three cavities and six or seven zones, for cooking at scale.

Understanding Range Cooker Hobs

The hob technology decides how fast the cooker responds, what it costs to run and how easily it wipes clean.

Induction, Ceramic and Solid Plate

Induction hobs heat the pan directly through a magnetic field, so they respond almost instantly and waste very little energy. They need pans a magnet sticks to. Ceramic hobs heat an element under the glass, cost less to buy and work with any flat pan, though they are slower to react. Solid plate is the budget option and is now rare on new models.

What About Ovens and Cleaning?

The oven matters as much as the hob. What to look for on the spec sheet:

• Fan assisted — holds an even temperature across every shelf, which matters for baking
• Pyrolytic cleaning — heats to around 500°C and burns residue to ash you wipe away
• Catalytic liners — absorb grease as you cook, cheaper but less thorough
• Energy rating — A or better on each cavity keeps the weekly bill down

Installing Your Range Cooker

Most electric range cookers need more than a standard plug. We suggest:

• Checking the rating plate, since anything over 3kW needs its own circuit
• Booking a qualified electrician to fit a 32A or 45A cooker switch
• Levelling the feet so the oven shelves sit flat and cakes rise evenly
• Fitting the anti-tip bracket that comes in the box

Several retailers offer installation and old appliance disposal — worth asking about when you order.

Maintenance Tips

To keep your range cooker performing:

• Wipe hob spills while still warm, before they bake on hard
• Use ceramic hob cream and a scraper, never a scouring pad, which dulls the glass
• Run the pyrolytic cycle every couple of months with the shelves removed
• Check the door seal once a year, because a perished seal leaks heat and money
• Call the manufacturer for element or thermostat faults rather than opening the back